Non-profit helps college wrestlers connect and network

Every year, ten national champions are crowned in different weight classes at the NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships. Although the winners represent a fraction of the 330 college wrestlers in the tournament, every single wrestler who graduates from college has the opportunity to join a more inclusive club: the Wrestlers in Business Network.

Wrestlers in Business Network (WIBN), a non-profit organization designed to help college wrestlers connect with former wrestlers in the business world, began as two separate groups: Wrestlers in Business Network in Cleveland, Ohio and Greater Washington Wrestling Business Network in Washington, D.C. The two organizations formally came together in March 2014 and, since then, membership has increased from 1,100 individuals to over 16,000 members.

John Licata, WIBN executive director, says the strength of the group comes from the camaraderie between wrestlers.

“We have that bond because regardless of our success or how many years we did it, there are certain things we did that are the same. We traveled a similar path, or, at least, we were on the path for a while, we trained hard, we sacrificed, we lost weight. When you wrestle, you put it on the line,” Licata says. “There are a lot of those shared experiences that bring us together, whether you’re 20 years old or 70 years old.”

Licata compares the connection between wrestlers to that of Navy SEALs. Tom Ryan, the head coach of the Ohio State University wrestling team, agrees.

“People have immediate respect for you, like a Navy SEAL, like a military solider, if you wrestled,” Ryan says. “There is an immediate bond you have, you understand how challenging the sport is, so there is a trust factor.”

WIBN builds upon the connection between current and former wrestlers, and its website allows student-athletes to create a profile, post a resume and engage with business leaders who also competed in the sport. The group supports the sport of wrestling by helping college programs grow and prosper, organizing network receptions, holding All-Star tournaments and coordinating speaking events with wresters and coaches like Ryan and Dan Gable, Olympic gold medalist.

Gable, who spoke in Cleveland, Ohio on June 17, says WIBN gives graduating student-athletes an edge over their peers in finding a job because of the support from former wrestlers who look out for others who have also competed in the sport at the collegiate level.

“Most of this, WIBN, is our leaders in our sport starting organizations in cities across the country that would actually be a group of wrestlers that are influential in their businesses and putting a higher priority on wrestlers that are graduating…and putting them in a position of getting a good job opportunity right away,” Gable says. “We want to make sure that we don’t overlook our own people. So, it’s really been a great idea. We do a lot good things, this might be one of the better things that we’re actually doing right now.”

A connection the group helped former American University wrestler Danny Mitchell secure a job with Techtronic Industries, and Mitchell says he plans to support his teammates who are also looking for employment.

“I would like to be involved [in WIBN],” Mitchell says. “With everything that they’ve offered me, I’d like to give back.”

Mitchell credits his coach at AU, Teague Moore, for helping him network with future employers. Moore, an All-American wrestler and NCAA Champion at Oklahoma State University, became involved in WIBN three years ago when AU hosted an All-Star Tournament for the top college wrestlers in the country.

He says plans to continue to work with the group to help athletes like Mitchell find success in the workplace in the same way that they found success on the mat.

“Almost 100% of our college athletes realize that when their college days are done, if they don’t pursue the Olympic wrestling route, they’re going to be going into a job, probably for something that they learned while they were in college, and I feel like this, it has been a long awaited area that the sport of wrestling has needed, and they’re filling a great void,” Moore says. “They are actually giving young wrestlers, guys that are just coming out of college, they’re now giving them a network of people that they can talk to and say ‘this is what I want to do for a profession.’”

On July 7, WIBN will host a luncheon with Ohio State’s Ryan in McLean, Va. Ryan says that he is excited to help to grow the company and support student-athletes who are looking for a career that fits their interests.

“[I’m] most looking forward seeing alumni down there, I’m sure the alumni will be there, seeing alumni and sharing the vision of wrestling, meeting people, some that may not engage in wrestling a lot, reengaging them and letting them know the importance of the organization.”

Shannon Scovel is a student at American University and a summer 2015 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent.